Walking Tour of Midtown's Famous Monuments
Within a few blocks of each other are four of Manhattan's most famous architectural landmarks. To step inside each is to reward yourself with urban design treasures that cannot be created today without a limitless budget. We've lived and work in New York for over 35 years, but even today, these four monuments continue to amaze us.
To be sure, there are bigger, older and more historic cathedrals in the world - we've seen them, but none of them are more dazzilingly-maintained than the gleaming white-marbled St. Patrick's on Fifth Ave. A true show-stopper.
Rockefeller Center's take on a central square for the modern city has never been as successfully repeated. The center's ability to welcome crowds from various directions into its sunken plaza; surrounded by a harmonious collection of elegant stone buildings is essentially Urban Design 101. Be sure to see Jose Maria Sert's monumental mural "American Progress" in the lobby of 30 Rock.
What superlatives can we add to the spectacular Fifth Avenue Library. Its sculptures, proportions, artworks, and numerous reading rooms make it incomparable in the world of public buildings.
It is an uplifting experience to just walk through Grand Central Station's luxuriously designed central hall with its aqua-blue ceiling of astrological signs. Add to that its numerous soaring passageways lined in marble, grand stairways and shimmering chandeliers, and you have one of the finest gateways to any city in the world.
